Your child brings this letter home from school...

[MoonShadow]

Yet another reason homeschooling should be outlawed or regulated.  Knowing the metric system is a requirement for anyone of even moderate intelligence and education.  The US is the only country on earth that still uses the imperial system and the metric system is even used here for any type of science work above a elementary school level.

Actually, the US isn't the only nation left that still uses an Imperial system.  But that doesn't matter much.  There are 300+ million people in the US.  Two-thirds of whom don't give a crap what Europeans do.

Homeschooling is actually outlawed over here and not many people complain about it.

They don't complain because that gets you arrested.  The prohibition on homeschooling is the only statute still in effect that was passed by the Nazi's.  That alone should tell you something.  I'd bet you think you live in a free country.

I agree that little children might be overwhelmed by the Metric system when all they know is that they are 4 feet tall.

I was never overwhelmed by the metric system, I just don't consider it particularly useful.

But that's why the US has finally switch to the evil Metric system. C'mon, if America Jr. (Canada) could pull it off, you can too! In fact, you did it already! I came across something called the Metric Conversion Act, but that only applies to trade and commerce.

Interstate Freeway signs are also in both AS and Metric around here.  So is my speedometer.  Doesn't matter much.  Data in metric is available in the US, it's just that nobody cares, and the government can't realy force people to care.  If it was truely a better system, people would use if of their own free will.  In some ways, they do.  I know that a gallon is just under four liters, and beverages are available in both types of bottles.  The gallon jugs also have their metric measurements printed on the label so the Eurotrash visiting Walt Disney World in the off season won't have a stroke trying to buy milk.  The public will adapt to whatever they use daily.  If Metric is superior, it's not superior enough to get people to switch.  It was easy enough for Europeans to do that because the various imperial systems that existed were all incompatible, which affected commerce.  THe United States never really had that problem.

It might be more "intuitive" to use the system you grew up with, but calculating in US customary units is just hellish. Or can you tell me how I can convert a quarter mile into yards easily? My navigation system displays yards but the road signs are in fractions of a mile, oh my.

How often do you need to convert from Km to meters in real life?  I agree that it doesn't require much thought converting between different scales, but doing that in AS tends to develop the gray matter.  If you needed to convert between miles to yards in your daily life, you'd know how to do it in your head as well.  Most people don't have to do that.  That said, AS actually is very intuitive within scales, as it is largely based upon halving and quartering, whichis something that the human mind has no problem doing.  Even the math illiterate public have never had issues with AS in the past, as in the Old West attaracting gold prospectors who couldn't even read.  Try to teach a four year old how a decimal system of division works, and then try to teach that same four year old about even sharing and you will understand the differences.

[giantdragon]

Metric system is more convenient than Imperial, all units are 1000 fold, e.g. 1 km = 1000m, 1m = 1000 millimeters or 1 tonne = 1000 kg, 1 kg = 1000 g. Most counties in the world adopted it, even UK was forced to use double Imperial/Metric labeling.

[myrkul]

Metric system is more convenient than Imperial, all units are 1000 fold, e.g. 1 km = 1000m, 1m = 1000 millimeters or 1 tonne = 1000 kg, 1 kg = 1000 g. Most counties in the world adopted it, even UK was forced to use double Imperial/Metric labeling.

Imperial is more convenient than metric, all units are halves or thirds or quarters of another. It's all in how you market it, and which way you grew up using.

[MoonShadow]

Metric system is more convenient than Imperial, all units are 1000 fold, e.g. 1 km = 1000m, 1m = 1000 millimeters or 1 tonne = 1000 kg, 1 kg = 1000 g.

I disagree with this subjective opinion.

Most counties in the world adopted it, even UK was forced to use double Imperial/Metric labeling.

You (convientiently, I assume) completely ignored the reasons that most countries in the world have adopted it.  You also fail to notice the contradiction that citizens in the UK were forced to use Metric, and did not chose to use Metric of their own will.

[Alex Beckenham]

Teaching people to learn is indeed an worthy endeavor

That can be read more than one way, and both interpretations are worthy endeavours.

[myrkul]

Teaching people to learn is indeed an worthy endeavor

That can be read more than one way, and both interpretations are worthy endeavours.

Indeed. "He who teaches, also learns, and he who learns, teaches."

[indio007]

If your son called him a liar that's wrong of him. A mistaken belief isn't a lie.

[AyeYo]

Metric system is more convenient than Imperial, all units are 1000 fold, e.g. 1 km = 1000m, 1m = 1000 millimeters or 1 tonne = 1000 kg, 1 kg = 1000 g. Most counties in the world adopted it, even UK was forced to use double Imperial/Metric labeling.

Imperial is more convenient than metric, all units are halves or thirds or quarters of another. It's all in how you market it, and which way you grew up using.

lol wut?


12 inches = 1 foot

How is that a half, third, or quarter?

3 feet = 1 yard

1,760 yards = 1 mile

Huh?  Sweet massive leap.  So for anything over 3 feet and under 5,280 feet, I can either use a ruler that's way too small or one that's way too big.

2 cups = 1 pint

2 pints = 1 quart

2 quarts = WTF!?!? why doesn't it equal anything?


8 ounces = 1 cup

16 ounces = 1 pound

1/2 pound = 1 cup ?

Whaaaa?

[myrkul]

Metric system is more convenient than Imperial, all units are 1000 fold, e.g. 1 km = 1000m, 1m = 1000 millimeters or 1 tonne = 1000 kg, 1 kg = 1000 g. Most counties in the world adopted it, even UK was forced to use double Imperial/Metric labeling.

Imperial is more convenient than metric, all units are halves or thirds or quarters of another. It's all in how you market it, and which way you grew up using.

lol wut?


12 inches = 1 foot

Ahh, AyeTroll, as productive as ever... 1 foot /3: 4 inches. /4: 1 inch. (didja forget that 4 * 3 is 12?)

My point was that it's more what you're used to, than which is 'easier'.

[qbg]

lol wut?


12 inches = 1 foot

How is that a half, third, or quarter?

3 feet = 1 yard

1,760 yards = 1 mile

Huh?  Sweet massive leap.  So for anything over 3 feet and under 5,280 feet, I can either use a ruler that's way too small or one that's way too big.

Don't forget the weird units like rods and chains.

[MoonShadow]

2 cups = 1 pint

2 pints = 1 quart

2 quarts = WTF!?!? why doesn't it equal anything?


8 ounces = 1 cup

16 ounces = 1 pound

1/2 pound = 1 cup ?

Whaaaa?

Talk about 'derp'.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_customary_units#Units_of_capacity_and_volume)

Bushel
Half-Bushel
Peck
Gallon
Half-Gallon
quart
pint
cup
gill (half-cup)
Half-gill (quarter-cup)
Ounce
Tablespoon

Each one of those is a half measurement of the one above it.  The volume to weight references are because a pint of water (16 fluid ounces) is very close to one pound in weight.

EDIT:  From Wikipedia...

"One fluid ounce is 1⁄16 of a U.S. pint, 1⁄32 of a U.S. quart, and 1⁄128 of a U.S. gallon. The fluid ounce derives its name originally from being the volume of one ounce avoirdupois of water, but in the U.S. it is defined as 1⁄128 of a U.S. gallon. Consequently, a fluid ounce of water weighs about 1.041 ounces avoirdupois.

The saying "a pint's a pound the world around" refers to 16 US fluid ounces of water weighing approximately (about 4% more than) one pound avoirdupois. An imperial pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter."

[MoonShadow]

lol wut?


12 inches = 1 foot

How is that a half, third, or quarter?

3 feet = 1 yard

1,760 yards = 1 mile

Huh?  Sweet massive leap.  So for anything over 3 feet and under 5,280 feet, I can either use a ruler that's way too small or one that's way too big.

Don't forget the weird units like rods and chains.

Why do we have to remember them?  No one uses them anymore.  At least the gill is still called the half-cup.  The point of this argument is that AS is still in use in the US wherever it is more useful than any alternative system.  Metric is used by Americans, when we want to.  Ever heard of a two liter bottle?

[josell]

Oh my God, Christ!

Report her to the education department.

[MoonShadow]

... Long list of useless stuff edited out ...

The saying "a pint's a pound the world around" refers to 16 US fluid ounces of water weighing approximately (about 4% more than) one pound avoirdupois. An imperial pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter."

LOL. Dude, thanks for make everyone else's point.

What point would that be, that Metric is more precise?  Of course it is, it was developed by and four science & international commerce.  But the fact that I can look at a gallon of water, and know that it's just a bit over 8 pounds tells me something useful in practice.  Real people don't need that kind of precision, most of the time.  For example, I've been running an experiment over the past two weeks.  I've got two coolers, and I want to figure out how much ice would be required to keep the contents chilled for four days as well as how much salt to add to those gallons in order to keep the contents frozen for four days.  Everything that I'm doing is in gallons, but for a frame of reference, I checked out the price of bagged ice at the store.  The bagged ice is sold only in four pound and 10 pound bags.  Knowing that a gallon of water is very close to 8 pounds gives me a frame of reference to make my intuitive guesses as to how much it would cost me to buy the ice I need versus freezing my own in gallon jugs.

[Yeti]

Actually, the US isn't the only nation left that still uses an Imperial system.  But that doesn't matter much.  There are 300+ million people in the US.  Two-thirds of whom don't give a crap what Europeans do.

Yah, Liberia and Myanmar still use it as well. Great club. UK is almost done with metrification. The not-crap-giving is what bothers the rest of the world, though.

They don't complain because that gets you arrested.  The prohibition on homeschooling is the only statute still in effect that was passed by the Nazi's.  That alone should tell you something.  I'd bet you think you live in a free country.

Hmm, I hear Godwin calling. Did you know that what you call "AS" is actually "BS" the Imperial system? That should tell you something...

Complaining does not get you arrested in Germany. Where did you get that? Maybe it does in the US... Breaking the law does and the law is that each child is required to go to a school - and an officially recognized one, not some building you put a sign on that says "SHCOOL".
I bet you think you live in a free country. Where you can't even talk about Christ in public schools or invite to Christian events. Where people have to be warned that "CAUTION! Hot beverages are hot!" in order not to get sued. A "free" country is an illusion, there are always rules and regulations you have to abide by, however the degree of freedom varies. Nobody stops you from giving your child extra education after school, as long as it does it's stretch for 6-7 x 45 minutes. Of course, the "indoctrination" needs to be "washed out" of the child's brain afterwards, right?!
And don't talk to me about Nazis. We dealt with our past and still deal with the nationalists every day. You foster them.

I was never overwhelmed by the metric system, I just don't consider it particularly useful.

You mean, because you have already a system of measurement? Because in and of itself, the Metric system is quite useful. I mean you can measure length, volume, weight, etc. with it. If you'd grown up differently, you'd think otherwise. So it's just a matter of upbringing and of "but I don't wanna switch!!". Much like people complained about the Euro that prices and wages were suddenly halved and how they didn't have the right "feeling" for money. How hard can it be? A rolling stone gathers no moss, as they say.

How often do you need to convert from Km to meters in real life?  I agree that it doesn't require much thought converting between different scales, but doing that in AS tends to develop the gray matter.  If you needed to convert between miles to yards in your daily life, you'd know how to do it in your head as well.  Most people don't have to do that.  That said, AS actually is very intuitive within scales, as it is largely based upon halving and quartering, whichis something that the human mind has no problem doing.  Even the math illiterate public have never had issues with AS in the past, as in the Old West attaracting gold prospectors who couldn't even read.  Try to teach a four year old how a decimal system of division works, and then try to teach that same four year old about even sharing and you will understand the differences.

Oh, okay. So it is now actually better to have a complicated system, because you need to think about conversions more. No way, people will just use their calculator! Especially since everybody has one nowadays in their cell phone. Even though you know what to calculate to get 0.34 miles in yards, it's not especially easy to do apart from guesstimating. However, I can easily say that 0.34 km is 340 m or 34,000 cm without breaking a sweat. The width of railroad tracks is given in mm. But I can't relate to 1435 mm, so I quickly convert it to, oh, 1.435 m and suddenly a have a much better feeling for it. With 4' 8.5" I just know it's a little under 5 feet, actually somewhere in the middle between 4.5 and 5.
Yeah, you don't need too much precision in daily life and guesstimating 1 gallon as 4 liters is probably enough for a rule-of-thumb calculation. But still, it is only for historic reasons that the US customary units still exist.

[Yeti]

Ahh, AyeTroll, as productive as ever... 1 foot /3: 4 inches. /4: 1 inch. (didja forget that 4 * 3 is 12?)

My point was that it's more what you're used to, than which is 'easier'.

So then tell me how many inches are 7.35"? How can your halving and thirding help there? I can however say easily that 7.3548 m are 735.48 cm or 7354.8 mm. It doesn't even require calculation, you just move the decimal point. Since we use the decimal system now and not the duodecimal system of the Middle Ages where everything was to the basis of 12 (a dozen), you should be more "used" to that.

[qbg]

Ahh, AyeTroll, as productive as ever... 1 foot /3: 4 inches. /4: 1 inch. (didja forget that 4 * 3 is 12?)

My point was that it's more what you're used to, than which is 'easier'.

So then tell me how many inches are 7.35"? How can your halving and thirding help there? I can however say easily that 7.3548 m are 735.48 cm or 7354.8 mm. It doesn't even require calculation, you just move the decimal point. Since we use the decimal system now and not the duodecimal system of the Middle Ages where everything was to the basis of 12 (a dozen), you should be more "used" to that.

First, the distance would be presented in feet and inches (or just inches), instead of a decimal amount of feet. If presented in feet and inches, you are done because you likely don't care about the number of inches.

[myrkul]

Ahh, AyeTroll, as productive as ever... 1 foot /3: 4 inches. /4: 1 inch. (didja forget that 4 * 3 is 12?)

My point was that it's more what you're used to, than which is 'easier'.

So then tell me how many inches are 7.35"? How can your halving and thirding help there? I can however say easily that 7.3548 m are 735.48 cm or 7354.8 mm. It doesn't even require calculation, you just move the decimal point. Since we use the decimal system now and not the duodecimal system of the Middle Ages where everything was to the basis of 12 (a dozen), you should be more "used" to that.

A lot of stuff still is base 12. Time for instance. What time is 7.35 hours after noon?

For me, because I grew up in the US, a foot is a more intuitive unit than a meter. I can do the calculations with it easily, and estimate with it in my head. When I want precision, I'll switch to metric, since that's what's generally used in scientific measurements anyway. but mm precision isn't necessary in my daily life, so inches it is.

[AyeYo]

Ahh, AyeTroll, as productive as ever... 1 foot /3: 4 inches. /4: 1 inch. (didja forget that 4 * 3 is 12?)

My point was that it's more what you're used to, than which is 'easier'.

So then tell me how many inches are 7.35"? How can your halving and thirding help there? I can however say easily that 7.3548 m are 735.48 cm or 7354.8 mm. It doesn't even require calculation, you just move the decimal point. Since we use the decimal system now and not the duodecimal system of the Middle Ages where everything was to the basis of 12 (a dozen), you should be more "used" to that.

A lot of stuff still is base 12. Time for instance. What time is 7.35 hours after noon?

For me, because I grew up in the US, a foot is a more intuitive unit than a meter. I can do the calculations with it easily, and estimate with it in my head. When I want precision, I'll switch to metric, since that's what's generally used in scientific measurements anyway. but mm precision isn't necessary in my daily life, so inches it is.

You don't seem to get that there's a different between intuitive and what you know.  Imperial is easier for you because you grew up with it.  Metric is intuitive because it's simple and logical.

As someone else said, this thread perfectly demonstrates the ability of thick headed people to be thick headed in the face of anything.

[myrkul]

You don't seem to get that there's a different between intuitive and what you know.  Imperial is easier for you because you grew up with it.  Metric is intuitive because it's simple and logical.

As someone else said, this thread perfectly demonstrates the ability of thick headed people to be thick headed in the face of anything.

Considering the source, the irony in that statement is so thick you can taste it.